Three months after the budget process began, Ridgecrest has a budget for the next fiscal year.

While it is not a budget anyone in the community or on the council is happy with, it will get the job done.

City staff scoured through it with a fine-tooth comb, the public nitpicked it to the bone, and council consistently asked for numbers and revisions.

The final product, an $11.46 million spending plan with a conservative revenue projection, has its ups and its downs. City staff did the best they could with what little they had.

Most departments took a hit. Parks and Recreation lost two maintenance directors and LeRoy Jackson Park, Ridgecrest Police Department will leave two officer positions unfunded and maintain what it has, and the city's streets will receive less Measure L money than what had initially been promised when the tax passed in 2012.

The decision has been made, votes casted and the budget finalized.

Yet it must be noted that the budget is a living document. The numbers not final, and council can come back to it should a sudden drop in revenue threaten to sink the city into the desert.

We aren't thrilled with the increase in salaries, no matter what department it's noted in. We recognize the matter is out of the city's hands due to contractual and union issues, but we encourage the council and the city to take a harder stance when negotiations come up.

But for former councilmember to call out the current

council on the matter when that person is aware of such contracts is hypocritical.

Some things must change in the future — on all fronts.

Ridgecrest must find a way to wean itself off relying on Measure L should it not be renewed in four years. RPD and public safety continue to be a priority and should be treated as such through the general fund.

Parks and Recreation must find new ways to fund itself, or think outside the box – and the valley must step up to help pay for it. We agree that a park model like Kern County's private-public partnership will work, but only if it is self-sustaining.

The public must realize that, while attention to detail is respected, grilling an issue that's already been explained numerous times is like beating a dead horse after it's been ground up for dog food. It doesn't help the final budget process, it only exacerbates things.

If the public disagrees with the process, then they have an option come the Nov. 4, 2014 elections.